Picking up the Pieces
by himynameisyoli
Summary: He was broken and he didn’t want to burden anyone with that. But he knew Angelina was broken as well and that maybe she could pick up the pieces. GeorgeAngelina.
1. Chapter 1

_Picking up the Pieces ▪__▪__▪_

_It had been a year since Fred's death and George was still not over it. He spent his days working at the shop; it had been he and Fred's favorite place and ironically the only thing that made him happy. It seemed like he lived for that store and the little kids who came in looking for a way to get back at their friends tricks, or frenzied mothers looking for birthday gifts, father's who wandered away from the family and felt like a kid again._

_Today it was a few days after Christmas so the shop was unusually quiet giving him time to think to himself, something he hated. There weren't very many people except kids spending birthday money here and there and a few returns and exchanges. _

_He was doing inventory at the cash register when he heard the door open and a soft, vaguely familiar voice say his name with a shy smile to it._

_He looked up to see Angelina Johnson standing at the front of the store, smiling shyly. She had on a black pea coat and her black hair up in a high bun on her head. She seemed to be a little uncomfortable and awkward and George could not blame her. They hadn't seen one another since Fred's funeral._

_She'd been crying and swearing because she said her makeup was expensive and waterproof. George was crying too but had sat there telling Angelina everything would be okay and that as long as they loved him Fred would never die. The next day Angelina called him (one of those wonderful, muggle inventions his father loved that he'd embraced) to tell him that she would be moving to the states to live with an aunt who was a Squib. She didn't explain but only that she'd find a muggle job and just live there for awhile. George understood and felt his heart sink when she called herself a coward for running away; she hung up before he could respond. _

_And now here she was right in front of him and he wondered if she too still missed George as much as he did, if she sometimes forgot he was gone only to remember and feel worse than before. It was so weird having Angelina there only she could understand his pain. They'd loved Fred in two different ways but he was sure no one had loved him more than them. _

_George finally noticed that there had been silence since Angelina spoke his name and he snapped out of his thoughts. "Oh. Hello, Angelina it's…really great to see you."_

_He walked to the door and put the "back in 15 minutes sign" up, giving them time to talk. _

"_I just got back today and you were the first person I wanted to see." She said walking back with him to the counter. "How have you been? How's your family?" Angelina's eyes were filled with curiosity. _

"_Mum's been well. She misses him terribly but she and dad are both so thankful that they didn't lose anymore kids. That I came out of this with only one ear missing" Angelina cringed and laughed as if it were something she scarcely did. "My siblings are also doing well—Ron and Hermione are finally dating. I'm not as sickened by all the mushiness as I thought I'd be."_

"_The war made people realize a lot of things." She said quietly. _

_George nodded and cleared his throat. "How have you been?"_

_Angelina shrugged, "okay. I worked at a bookstore in Maine where my aunt lives for the longest time. I kept to myself mostly and I didn't like to talk about home or before. No one would understand they didn't go through this war and I'd left to forget. It's why I think of myself as a coward because I wanted to forget my life and everyone in it. And then one day it hit me that I never would and I came home on the first flight out yesterday. After a year, I'm home."_

"_You were never a coward not then and not now." It felt good for George to finally be saying this to her, after he'd wanted to for a year. _

_Angelina shook her head but didn't say anything. She looked around the store as if reminiscent and remembering something, someone. She sighed, "I miss him so much." _

"_Me too" whispered George and he hesitated before putting his hand atop hers on the counter. She started to cry and he didn't know what to do. It was like at the funeral only this time she wasn't wearing any makeup at all. He came around the corner and took her in his arms. She held onto him tightly burying her head in his chest and just cried. George got the feeling that it was the first time she'd really allowed herself to cry. "I just miss him everyday." She said in between sobs and gasping for air. _

▪●▪

_Angelina started helping out at the shop and in the few months she'd been there she made life bearable again. They even talked about Fred sometimes and it was so much easier to do so with her because she knew what to say and not what to say. She didn't elaborate too much or try to figure out what needed to be tiptoed around and was okay to bring up. She just knew. _

_It was March and unseasonably cold and the shop was extremely busy. Angelina was helping out with the confused mothers and doing great. While ringing up people and helping kids (and realizing he needed to hire more people) George watched her out the corner of his eye. She seemed so relaxed and happy in her jeans, sneakers, and white and gold "WEASLEYS WIZARD WHEEZES" t-shirt she'd convinced him to have made. _

_It struck George that he was falling in love with her and it made him feel sick to his stomach. _

_That is a terrible way to describe being in love but it was fitting to who he was in love with. In love with the love of his brother's life! If she knew she'd probably slap him and hate him and never come back to the shop. George didn't think he could handle that—not with her being so great with the customers and funny. That was probably why Fred loved her so she was smart and pretty and __**funny. **_

_When it was time for closing Angelina lingered around to help him clean up and do inventory. "I'm glad I came back." _

_He looked at her and smiled. "I'm so glad you did too."_

_They stood looking at one another for some time. He stroked her cheek, smooth and brown and warm. _

_She didn't move or flinch away from his touch. But only looked as if she thought she was doing something forbidden and wrong just by letting this occur. He felt that way too, for being the one to initiate it._

"_Happiness has been so foreign to me for the longest time." She said quietly with trembling lips. _

_George nodded looking at her lips as they moved. He'd slept with girls in the last year; hurried kisses, drunken sex, and one night stands only. He'd been too sad to feel anything real for anyone, to even try. He was broken and he didn't want to burden anyone with that. But he knew Angelina was broken as well and that maybe she could pick up the pieces. _

"_I feel like I'm doing something wrong." _

"_Maybe we both are." She whispered. She leaned back onto counter and smiled at him biting her lips, "sometimes what's wrong is right in the end, and sometimes you just need it for the moment."_

_He shook his head, "no, I want you for more than just the moment. I want you forever." And he kissed her before she could protest or give him all the logical reasons of why he shouldn't want her forever, why they couldn't be. _

_And she kissed him back hungrily wrapping her arms around him and holding him to her. He felt like he would suffocate in a good way if she never let go and they kissed like that until there was a knock on the door. They were startled and looked over at a middle aged man who wanted to get in. _

"_We're bloody closed!" Shouted George and he turned the sign to closde and the man shuffled away bitterly. _

_Angelina put her hand over her mouth to try and stifle her giggles. _

_George scratched his hair and blushed. "So, are you hungry at all?" _

"_I am actually." She said looking everywhere but at him. _

"_My mom cooked dinner—"_

"_I couldn't face your family after what just happened and not feel awkward." _

"_Chinese?" He asked relieved that she'd been the one to say she didn't want to go._

_She nodded, "wonderful." _

"_It's…a date." He said cautiously. _

"_A date." _

_He smiled at her and took her hand as they left the shop. He didn't know what they were getting into or if they'd regret it in an hour, a few days, weeks, months. If they'd spend years together happily or realize years too late their mistake. But nothing seemed important right now other than the fact that she was the only person alive who seemed to be able to dull the hole in his heart. The only person alive who understood without questions and gave him what he needed. They were happy for right now and George had learned sometimes you just had to live in the moment._


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I _do not_ own any characters and blah, blah, blah. That is all the property of J.K. Rowling, publishers, Warner Brothers, and I'm sure a bunch of other people. I only own Ronald B. Weasley in my heart.

a/n: I never planned on writing a second chapter to this as I can never seem to finish anything and have a writer's block 10 months out of the year. However I got some inspiration and here you go! It's hard for me to keep up with exact ages and dates and since I don't feel like thumbing through DH some ages will probably be a little off. You've been forewarned for all upcoming chapters ;-)!

_They went to George's favorite Chinese restaurant in downtown Muggle London. George embraced Muggle culture a lot more than he ever thought he would. While not wanting to collect everything related to them as if ancient artifacts like his father, he did enjoy being in their oblivious presence._

_It started a few days after the end of the war._

_The war felt like it had been going on forever and ended as abruptly as if it never were. Voldemort was dead, the war was over; life is supposedly normal again. But that was not true for there lacked Fred, Tonks, Remus, Mad Eye, and a host of others. There was a little boy orphaned and George no longer had a brother to come out of this with. Oh, how George would've spent an eternity deaf and with one eyeball if he could have his brother back. _

_At all the Wizard bars George could feel the room get colder as he walked in, hushed whispers, eyes following him in a way they thought were incognito. He'd make a few jokes with the bartenders and see witches shake their heads about how he was "shielding the pain." _

_In Muggle bars he was nothing more than a bloke who was tall and thin with red hair. He made people laugh in them, bought girls beer, sometimes got the eye and someone to spend the night with. No one knew anything about his family, his past, or his present…no one cared and it was the greatest gift of all._

_They sat eating and talking and George laughed so much until his throat was dry. George Weasley, laughing real laughter finally after a year of fake laughs and no real happiness. _

_George didn't know what to say to her about them and what this meant. In the back of his mind and in his heart he couldn't shake the thought of if this was what Fred would have wanted. There are certain things you can say that about like, "Yes Fred would be thrilled that I am keeping the joke shop up and running, that his legacy—__**our**__ legacy lives on!" But George could not bring himself to say "and yes, he would also be happy that I will probably be dating the love of his life if everything goes well!"_

"_Egg rolls are delicious" said Angelina breaking his train of thought. _

_She ate like a person; most girls on dates ate as if they didn't want you to know they were human and actually needed food. Angelina was the opposite eating her food and acting as if she really enjoyed it, George loved it. "You eat." _

_Angelina laughed, her warm brown eyes sparkling. "Of course I eat, although I hate to admit that after I stopped playing Quidditch I ate a lot more and worked out a lot less."_

"_Your body is perfect" said George feeling his cheeks warm up. Angelina laughed but didn't say anything. _

▪●▪

_6 Months Later_

_That was the beginning of a torrid love affair. They didn't tell anyone for months neither of them. The first person George told was of all people—Ron. George knew that Ron would tell Hermione as he told her everything seeming not able to keep a secret. But it was that night Ron confided in George that he was going to propose to Hermione. _

"_Really?!" Asked George excitedly, "you're going to propose tonight…and on my 6 month anniversary!"_

_It had come out in a rush but had been on George's mind for weeks. Tonight was he and Angelina's six month anniversary and he didn't know if he should do anything for her as they still hadn't really even told anyone. They made love, two months after their first kiss. She'd made spaghetti and garlic bread and it was so good. George felt like crying because he felt if he were to marry her he wouldn't worry about who'd cook as good as his mother. That night with the taste of garlic and sweet sauce and pumpkin juice still in his mouth, he'd kissed her; kissed her on her lips, while they were cuddled on the couch in his flat watching a Quidditch match. She'd taken to spending many nights at his flat now always sleeping beside him her body so warm and soft, but they'd never did anything further than kissing._

_But that night as he thought about how well she cooked and all the millions of other wonderful things about her they'd made love. And it was not drunken sex or a one night stand. But there were hurried, frustrated kisses everywhere, delicate touches and tears. _

"_Your what?" asked Ron, confused, "I didn't even know you had a girlfriend."_

_George bit back the urge to laugh. Ron had the remarkable talent of being funny when not trying or when he was dead serious. "I do, little brother and I love her very much."_

_Ron frowned, "if you love her why didn't you tell me until now? Does the whole family know but me? I can't imagine Fleur being able to keep a secret or why you wouldn't tell me—"_

"_No, no it's nothing like that! I just…it's complicated. I don't even know how to say the words aloud to anyone and I imagine she feels the same."_

"_Would we not approve?" Asked Ron growing more and more curious, "it's okay if she's not a looker George, I won't laugh too much."_

"_She's beautiful." Said George defensively, "and you approved the first time."_

"_An ex, just bloody tell me! I'm tired of playing this game of clue." _

"_Angelina Johnson" Blurted out George with his eyes closed. _

_There was a five minute silence in which George opened his eyes. Ron had a small grin on his face. "Good job!" _

"_What? But she—Fred—"_

_Ron shook his head and the look on his face was completely serious. George didn't even have the urge to laugh. _

"_You were so…so __**sad**__ that first year without him. I mean a shell of yourself and I know you're tired of hearing it by now but you really were a shell of yourself. I mean yeah you still told jokes and managed the shop and came to family dinner religiously but there was like something was missing. You loved him more than all of us, I know that and in the past months I have noticed a subtle difference. It makes so much sense now—her working at the shop, and with the way you light up when talking about her I couldn't care less if it's a bit controversial. She makes you happy and that's all I care about…all he would care about."_

_George thought that Ron was a lot different from the kid he was almost two years ago. With the way he talked about the Quidditch season starting and how he'd spent three months picking out the perfect ring for Hermione. How he'd asked her father's hand in marriage—a Muggle tradition he didn't want to overlook. "You'll make her happy" Said George after awhile._

_Ron beamed, "so will you."_

_That night George had went to Angelina's flat doing a light summer night's rain nonetheless. The light drops of water on his skin felt surprisingly nice in the humid night and he finally enjoyed the rain after living in England all of his life. _

_When she'd opened the door in his boxers and a t-shirt she'd looked surprised and he'd kissed her and told her he loved her. That he didn't have a present because of his confusion but from that moment on she was officially his—no secrets and they would tell the whole world, starting with everyone at the Burrow._


End file.
